Replies
No one has replied to this post.
I don't think you're doing anything wrong, but be aware that you will get capped at band maximum minus whatever funding has already been drawn down for that students on the that standard. That just happens automatically based on ULN and standard code.
Our process is, if a student withdraws with us then restarts with us, we'll always calculate how much funding is left in the band, and make that the new price (assuming our usual price is band max). So we will earn the same amount overall. If a student starts at another provider, and then starts again with us, we will use the Skills Scan and RPL to determine duration and price. However, if we determined that we thought they needed 75% of the delivery, but the other provider had drawn down 50% of the funding band max, there will only be 50% left to claim, and we end up doing some delivery for free. If the first provider only drew down 25%, but our Skills Scan shows we should reduce by 35%, we'd still go ahead and reduce by 35%. What would be the justification for claiming more?
It can be tricky to know how much the first provider drew down. You need to know the start and actual end date, which are in the PLR probably, but you also need planned end date and original price. You can assume price was band maximum, but planned end date, you'll have to try and find out from the apprentice or their employer. You'll find out soon enough if your price plus the amount already drawn done goes above band max, as you'll see it in the funding reports. You could always then reduce your price, or ask the employer for the extra.
Your new duration plus the original duration must always add up to at least 12 months.
But ultimately, both things are right. You should still reduce price and duration based on Skills Scan, but understand that you may be capped, and you need to decide if you can afford to deliver for a reduced amount, whether you want to ask the employer to pay the difference, or whether you don't take on that apprentice at all.
Every standard has a funding band, which is the maximum funding available for that standard. If an apprentice with the same ULN ends up on that same exact standard twice (or even three times), ESFA can see that across providers, and bundle them together for the purpose of capping at that band. If they start a different standard, you're back to the full band for that new standard.
Gina Bowles
Funding Calculations for August 2022
Created
Hi All
Really sorry if this has been covered elsewhere but I thought I had a grip on calculating funding until someone planted a different seed and now I am really getting confused in what I think I know.
We have always calculated funding remaining using the dates from the PLR for apprentices who have come back to learning for whatever reasons. With the funding changes in August I think that we should be calculating the funding and duration left from the skills scans and RPL discussion. However I have been advised that this is incorrect and we should be using the time they have already had on programme.
Example:
Apprentices comes to us with two months prior learning with a precious providers.
My understanding of the funding rules from August are:
This is discussed as part of the sign up and reduction made to funding and durations - aligning the training plan and removing any of the job hours. If during this discussion the learner has actually had an induction and not actually done any training - this is identified in the skills scan documented in the RPL discussion - full funding and length of stay are used.
I am now being told that this is not the case and we should be calculating the funding using the time on programme method which we used previously i.e. 12 month programme - 2 months already had we have funding and LOS is 10 months - regardless of what learning has taken place.
I am being told that the ESFA will not fund the same apprenticeship twice (even for withdrawals and fails) and that we just have to deliver for free and in a shorter amount of time. I am happy to be wrong but just need this cleared up in my head.
I really am hoping that someone out there can help me! I have logged a ticket with the ESFA but they have sent it to the apprenticeship service and the answers coming back are all about the DAS and how to deal.
Thank you so much in advance.
Thanks
Gina